Foo Fighters in Birmingham review – Dave Grohl’s ‘super surprises’ made history at Villa Park

As a rainbow stretched over Villa Park Stadium this evening (Thursday June 27), Dave Grohl addressed the Brummie crowd. “What is this, Hawaii?!” he screamed. “Birmingham is the most beautiful city in the whole country! I feel like I’m on holiday!”

The noise from the crowd was deafening as Foo Fighters fans raised their voices in appreciation for the compliment. There is something truly serious about this frontman and tonight at Aston, the comment about our city was not an empty remark intended to provoke a reaction.

I’m sure of it because the Brummies have been treated to some super surprises. Not only did we see a band that somehow sounded even better in the flesh than on record, oozing raw energy and skillful musicianship that made an £80 ticket seem like a bargain, but we also got a Villa Park. the first.

Read more: Foo Fighters Villa Park live as Dave Grohl calls Birmingham ‘the most beautiful city in this country’

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But I’ll get to that. Let me return to the opening acts.

The hot milk came out early and rattled my teeth out of my noggin, shouting a statement of intent that is frankly too rude to publish here on a family news site. The screams and melodies of two vocalists gave them gravitas, and the dual guitars added extra weight to those heavier songs.

The pop punk bits didn’t get the crowd moving, but it was early days and beers cost £8 a pop once you factor in the £2 per bottle tax. Give us time.

Courtney Barnett was an interesting choice for the second support slot. After all the upstart energy that Hot Milk brought to the table, the tone was decidedly more relaxed and, in some parts, a little dull. But maybe I just couldn’t hear the clever lyrics she’s so famous for over the sound system.

By the time the Foo Fighters came out kicking and screaming with All My Life, it all fell by the wayside anyway. It was an explosive start to a 25-song set that would take us, fantastically, along the great timeline of this band’s life.

One of my favorite things in all of music is hysteria. You know how Paul McCartney felt sometimes when he felt like it? A little animalistic in a brilliant way? In Birmingham, Dave Grohl had a lot of that and I loved it.

The Pretender proved to be a special moment for the audience as they sang along to Foos from all over the world. They sang it in cars, in countless downpours and cathartic moments of exaltation since 2007, and in unison, it could definitely be heard across town.

They actually broke the sky when the band hit Times Like These and the rain came down. The showers continued for the old favorite generator and the best version of Hysterical Dave came out for La Dee Da which was an unexpected highlight for me.

We saw drummer Josh Freese doing absolutely the most for Breakout and the audience gave him a very warm reception. He has big shoes to fill after the loss of Taylor Hawkins, and he did it with skill and humility. It was bad to see.

My hero brought people around me to tears, and I was pleased to see that the two boys next to me were overcome with joy at this moment and hugged. Live music is the best and this is a band that is made to be heard in the flesh.

The highlights just kept coming. A big dance to Learn to Fly was a highlight and These Days opened little circular craters in the huge crowd as people turned to their friends and danced into each other’s arms.

The first of the real surprises came shortly after Dave introduced the legendary Geezer Butler to the Villa Park Stadium stage for the first time to play Paranoid just a few roads from the Black Sabbath musician’s childhood home. Dave said they loved pushing the boat out to celebrate the final dates of the tournament and nothing could have been better for the Brummies than that.

The band took a bit of a break when Dave launched into three songs, but I was glad once we got back on track with Monkey Wrench. An emotional version of Taylor Hawkins’ favorite Foo Fighters song Aurora gave fans a chance to reflect before Best Of You took us to the false finale.

Coming back for the encore would have caused the biggest buzz I’ve ever heard for any band. The Teacher got the crowd going again and we were absolutely delighted to welcome Shane Hawkins on stage to play This Is A Call. What an incredible talent.

The show ended with a truly amazing version of Everlong and the crowd didn’t miss a beat or a word as they let it all go up in the Aston sky. It was clear that we were having a great time, but it was equally clear that the Foo Fighters were enjoying the experience. They couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces as they sent us home uphill.

A great night, an excellent band, a brilliant crowd and a fantastic setlist. The Villa Park stadium doesn’t host concerts that often, but when it does, they never seem to miss the mark.

Cheers, Foo Fighters. Come back soon!